Kim Kardashian's Marilyn Monroe Saga Gets Even Stranger

The 2022 Met Gala was full of surprises — one being Kim Kardashian wearing an iconic dress of Marilyn Monroe's. The dress was purchased by Ripley's Believe It Or Not! for $4.81 million in 2016, according to People. Monroe wore it for her infamous "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" performance in 1962. Once it was revealed that Kardashian would be wearing this particular dress to the gala, mixed opinions from both the general public and historians erupted.

Monroe historian Scott Fortner told People that the star wearing this dress was "cause for concern," explaining, "The dress was custom-made for Marilyn Monroe. It's not an off-the-rack garment," he said. "The fabric for the dress was literally sculpted to [Monroe's] body to precisely match every curve."

Kardashian attended the Met Gala with her current boyfriend Pete Davidson. According to Vogue, the TV personality only wore the dress for a short period of time. A conservationist from Ripley's helped her change into the dress once she arrived at the actual gala, where she changed into a replica of the gown, also owned by Ripley's, after walking up the stairs at the Met. So, Kardashian only wore the actual historic dress for a few minutes and posed for the rest of her photos wearing the replica. The recreation of the historic look, which many fans have deemed as a strange move that meddled with American history, has somehow managed to get even more strange.

In celebration of her historic recreation, Kim Kardashian was given a lock of Marilyn Monroe's hair in a silver box while visiting Ripley's Believe It Or Not Headquarters before the Met Gala. In an Instagram video of the gift being given to Kardashian, she said the gesture was "so cool" and "special." However, Monroe historian Scott Fortner revealed that the lock of hair is likely a fake. Ripley's announced that Monroe's hair stylist, Robert Champion, cut her hair before the "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" performance and that is where the lock came from. However, Fortner explained that Kenneth Battelle was actually her hair stylist that night years ago.

"News Alert: Marilyn Monroe Hair Gifted to Kardashian by Ripley's is Fake," Fortner wrote on Instagram. "News Flash: Robert Champion did not cut and style Marilyn's hair for the JFK gala. It was actually the one and only 'Mr. Kenneth' (Battelle) who had the honors."

Whether Kardashian believes it or not, she may not have an actual lock of Monroe's hair. However, she probably won't allow that to rain on her parade, as the SKIMS mogul expressed that she was honored to wear not just one of Monroe's iconic dresses, but also her 1962 Golden Globes gown, writing on Instagram, "It will forever be one of the greatest privileges of my life to be able to channel my inner Marilyn in this way, on such a special night."